Are You Writing What Matters Most?

I'll bet you've also noticed how handy your writing talents are your civic and personal life, as you use your gifts to:

express gratitude or appreciation,

publicize organizations or events you care about, or

write letters on behalf of causes you believe in?

Alone at the writing desk, you may find your creative writing project especially fulfilling. You may write because you:

simply love the tools, the craft, the process,

feel you have something you absolutely must say, or

you're one of those blessed folks who simply cannot not write.

Your expressive talents are
marketable, adaptable and deeply needed by the world. As a writer you have so many
opportunities to use your gifts!

Amidst so many options, it takes real intention to show up for your own work, doesn't it?

Why Your Own Work Matters

If there's one thing I've learned from surviving cancer twice in my 20s, it's that life is short and the time to do what really matters isn't later. It's now, now, now.

Because your words have the potential to steal the hearts and days of an engaged reader.

Because "everybody is talented, original and has something important to say," (Brenda Ueland, If You Want to Write, Greywolf Press, 1987).

Because when you write what matters most, you're more patient at home, at the gym, on the road and in the grocery store.

Because when you show up for your real writing work, you're happier and you model for your friends and kids what it's like to be a working artist (empowering them to do the same).

Because when you make time to write what matters most to you, you spark that otherworldy light behind your eyes, that delicious glow you notice when you look in the mirror or see reflected back in the smile of someone who really knows and supports you, that joyful inner radiance that says, wordlessly:

"I'm choosing to live in integrity today."

"I'm alive. (Truly.)"

"I use my life and talent to do what matters most."

Are you making time to express
your gifts in ways that truly matter?

Do you show up each week
to write what matters MOST?

Try This:

Let's call this little exercise "Drop and Give Me Ten."

First: Set a timer, fire up your word processor or get out a notebook and explore "writing that matters most" in a 10 minute (or more) freewriting session.

When you've finished, take a moment to share your insights & ideas with us by leaving a comment, below. I can't wait to hear what matters most to you.

Comments

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I love love love this topic. Like Betsy, I've had assignments that were not in my field of expertise and if I agree to do too many of those, my brain fries and quality suffers. But I can't just write what I want. It's hard to say "No" when you need to buy groceries and fill the car with gas. I think I've learned the hard way- by having an assignment recently totally bomb on me- that I have to know when to say no. I had told the editor I had a heavy workload at the time but she said she could wait. I should have been more adamant but in the end she wasn't happy and I wasn't happy. But I'm not giving up on any of my other gigs because I enjoy them more and I do need that money flow, even though it's not as much as I'd like it to be or on time.

When I started writing, my dream was to be able to write what I wanted and what I felt. As soon as I started getting published, I was quickly offered money to write about other topics than the ones I wanted to. Writing became a chore.

I have just recently (after writing for 15 years) decided to try to go back to JUST writing what I want. Yes, I anticipate that my income will fall. But as you said, life is short, and there are many things that are much more important than money.